Chapter 451: Outer-s.p.a.ce City Network
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Patroclus had only failed once in his life, and it was at the hands of w.a.n.g Tong. Therefore, Zhang Jin knew that nothing would pique the Ivantian"s interest like w.a.n.g Tong.
"Do tell."
"He was dispatched to the maintenance crew, a d*ck move on Kaost"s part, and he has fished repairing over fifty sets of METAL in just one day. His efficiency was practically equivalent to that of the best Ivantian technician I have ever seen."
Patroclus didn"t seem to be surprised by the news. He cast a sidelong glance at Zhang Jin and asked, "Do you think that my target is w.a.n.g Tong?"
Zhang Jin was taken by surprise, so she asked, "Is it not?"
"Hehe, he is no match for me. I had allowed him to defeat me during our last encounter." Patroclus said, his voice lacking any emotion.
"You allowed him?" Zhang Jin was shocked by what she heard.
"Don"t let him fool you. He is no match against an Einherjar. I just wanted to know what it was like to be the loser for once." Patroclus still didn"t look Zhang Jin right in the eyes. He licked his lips, making them glisten against the pale moonlight.
"But I saw it, that final lance strike was—"
"…was incredible, yes. But, he is not powerful enough to control it." Patroclus cut her shot and said with a cold sneer on his face.
"But...why did you let him..." Zhang Jin was at a loss. She that found the Patroclus in front of her was no longer the candid Ivantian Prince that she used to know.
"The outcome doesn"t matter to me. I live for myself, not for anyone else. If it was otherwise, what would be the point of living? "
Zhang Jin uttered quietly, "We also live by rules. Patroclus…"
"Jin, you are my best friend, I will never hurt you. But, I can"t promise the same for others. Please, let me go." Patroclus touched Zhang Jin"s face and smiled. There was a sense of crude finality in his actions and words.
After Patroclus left the room, Zhang Jin found it hard to gather herself. She was deeply disturbed by Patroclus" recent strange behavior.
Could he really be the culprit that Samantha was looking for? No, it was impossible!
The next day, the trainee review committee had made some significant changes to the scoreboard: w.a.n.g Tong had risen from rank 55 to the top ten list.
However, this big change didn"t catch many people"s attention, as everyone was focused on Li s.h.i.+ming and his team. Li s.h.i.+ming not only had a silver tongue, but was also an expert in attracting the public"s attention.
w.a.n.g Tong didn"t mind the change on the scoreboard either. To him, his recent breakthrough in his understanding of the soul essence was much more profound than the uptick in ranking.
Unlocking the full power of the soul essence would grant w.a.n.g Tong immorality and invincibility, but he knew that he was still too weak for such power by a long chalk. The first hurdle he had to pa.s.s before he could claim the real power of soul essence was to become an Einherjar.
How did Patroclus do it with such ease while it was so difficult for him?
It suddenly occurred to w.a.n.g Tong that his final lance attack shouldn"t have ended the tournament.
Something was amiss, but w.a.n.g Tong couldn"t put the finger on it.
…
The Ark had finally arrived at its first outer s.p.a.ce depot: the Luolan outer s.p.a.ce depot.
Although interstellar traveling was made possible thanks to the s.p.a.ce warping technology, the warping point was relatively far from major human settlements. In order to connect the human settlements with the warping point, the confederation had constructed numerous s.p.a.ce depots along the way. Together, these s.p.a.ce cities were called s.p.a.ce City Network. It was one of the key elements of the confederations" s.p.a.ce infrastructure program.
The s.p.a.ce depot Luolan was the first stop of the network, connecting the warping point to the settlements in the Andromeda Galaxy.
The citizens of s.p.a.ce cities had lived a different lifestyle than land-dwellers. They had their own vibrant and unique culture that couldn"t be found anywhere else.
Due to their obscure locations, these s.p.a.ce cities were easy targets for pirate raids. In order to protect themselves, some of the cities had even reached an "agreement" with the outlaws.
It was easier said than done to construct a s.p.a.ce city in the harsh environment of the outer s.p.a.ce. Without a huge profit, these s.p.a.ce cities would never be built in the first place. With the increasingly prosperous settlements in the Andromeda Galaxy, businesses that connected the settlement with the outside world had become more profitable. The seemingly endless source of revenue had kept the floating cities alive, despite the rampant pirate activities.
Nevertheless, not everyone fancied a life on the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, since it was indisputably rough and difficult, and the situation had been much worse fifty years ago.
Fifty years ago, the confederation"s ignorance of the scourge of pirates had led to a rebellion. Although the rebelling forces had eventuality put down their arms, they were able to force the Confederation to loosen its grip on the s.p.a.ce cities. From then on, the s.p.a.ce city had enjoyed much greater autonomy than any other parts of the world. They had built their own military and even had their own government. The confederation"s initial compromise ended up to be a win-win solution, since the confederation could still reap benefits through taxes, but they also avoided the costly responsibility of guarding these cities.
After a few decades, the s.p.a.ce cities had finally become the breeding ground of pirate bands. The pa.s.sing through of the Ark was a display of strength, emblematic of the confederation"s firm new stance on zero-tolerance for colluding with outlaws.
"Captain, Mayor of Luolan is on the line."
"Connect."
The screen lit up, and Kaost saw an energetic young fellow on the screen. His name was Carmen, mayor of Luolan.
Carmen wore a warm and affectionate smile on his face as he spoke first, "As the mayor of the city, on behalf of all citizens, I welcome you and your crew."
"Thank you for your hospitality. We will be sending you a list of supplies we are in an urgent need of. Your help in restocking those supplies will be greatly appreciated. "
"It is my honor, Captain."
"Thank you, Mayor. A lot of us had never been to Luolan. Care if you give them a tour?"
"We are more than happy to provide a guided tour to strengthen our mutual understanding."
The first meeting between the captain and the Mayor went very well. The promise of touring an outer-s.p.a.ce s.p.a.ce city had also lightened everyone"s mood.
"Captain, as a die-hard supporter of the confederation, Carmen didn"t change at all." Samantha piped up.
"Hehe, we will see. This is only our first stop along the network. There will be difficulties and struggles ahead of us."
"For the sake of your safety, I should go meet the mayor in person in your stead."
Kaost nodded in approval before he fell into deep thoughts again.
Meanwhile, Luolan had transmitted a promotion video about the city, and it was broadcasted all over the Ark.
"Luolan, a metropolitan in the outer s.p.a.ce... A place to live; a place to call home..."
The screen displayed a "typical scene" on Luolan: White fluffy clouds against the deep blue sky, chirping birds and skittish deer filling the emerald colored forest… Meandering rivers that reflected the sunlight, making it look like a stream of gems…It was heaven.